Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by pirate Henry Morgan, who had come up the nearby Río Coco in a canoe, thirsty for
gold. The city's jewel is the sensational
Santuario de los Milagros
, with its gorgeous brick
arches, enormous wooden doors and candlelit altar. Check out the Christ figure brought
from Austria. Local legend has it that any time pirates entered the sanctuary, the sculpture
grew to enormous proportions and the pillaging parties could not get it out the doors. At-
tached, the small but fun
Museo Segoviano
(contiguo Iglesia; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri)
has a few
pre-Columbian ceramics, 500-year-old Spanish-colonial fashion, ancient wine goblets and
the original stone altar from the church.
Back on the main road, continue to the speed bumps of
San Fernando
, which has a great
parque central and is famous for its
cheles
(individuals with white skin), which many trace
to the presence of US marines in the area from 1927 to 1931. Cerro Mogotón is less than
20km from town.
About 10km past San Fernando, you can make a right onto the sketchy dirt road to
El
Jícaro (Ciudad Sandino)
where Sandino's military mined for gold at
Las Minas San Albino
.
It's possible to visit the ruins of the mine and check out Sandino's rusted old mining gear.
The town itself is attractive and friendly, and makes a good base from which to explore
the attractions in the surrounding countryside or just soak up the rural mountain vibe.
Local agronomist
Rúrico Castellón
( 8643-0339; Oficina UNAG)
knows the mountains
surrounding El Jícaro better than anyone and offers horseback-riding tours through the
lush countryside. There are several cheap
hospedajes
including
El Segoviano
(
2735-2293; salida a Murra; s/d US$6/12)
and the basic but affable
Maryfer
( 2735-2243;
Parque, 4c E, 2c N; s/d without bathroom US$4/6.50, r US$8)
. The best place to eat is
Comedor
Kenia
(Petronic station, 1c S; meals US$2;
11am-9pm)
, which serves delicious typical meals
in a large bamboo walled hut.
If you have a 4WD, stay on this road and you'll eventually come to the community of
Murra
, where the surrounding countryside undulates between 820m and 1300m and hides
Salto El Rosario
, one of the highest and quite possibly the most spectacular waterfalls in
the country. The water falls for nearly 200m in three sections close to gorgeous
Finca
Santa Rita
, which sits on 200 hectares of land outside Murra.
Returning to the main highway, about 30km south of Jalapa you'll reach las
Termales de
Aranjuez
, where mineral-rich waters gush out of the ground and form a stream that locals
say has medicinal properties. Bring some raw eggs to cook in the boiling puddles.
